After the War
by Dayyy213
Summary: My take on the events that happened between the end of the book and the epilogue. I read several other stories, but I could find the right one. So take a look!
1. ReBeginning

Harry Potter was sitting on his four-poster bed. He had been there awhile, allowing every thought to flow through his head. He had seen and talked to Albus just a few hours ago. Albus had asked for his forgiveness. He understood just then how much Albus really loved him. That, in itself, made the greatest difference of all.

He slowly rose from the bed and began to make his way downstairs to find Hermione, Ginny and Ron. They were not in the common room so he assumed they were still in the Great Hall. He exited the portrait entrance and made his way downstairs. He bumped into Professor McGonagall.

"Harry, I was just looking for you. There are some thing we need to discuss. Can we do that now or should I wait for another time?" She asked cautiously. She looked older than she had just a few hours ago. The battle had really worn her out.

"No, right now is as good as any. I don't have any where to go, really." He thought the longer he could avoid seeing the Weasleys the better it would be.

They made their way to the headmaster's office. Professor McGonagall kept looking back at him, as if he were going to explode into a thousands pieces at any moment. The gargoyle moved without asking for the password. It knew the war had ended and that the right side had won. She sat behind the desk and motioned for Harry to sit in the chair in front of her.

She cleared her throat. "Harry, there are some things we need to discuss. What do we do with the bodies of the Death Eaters? What about the body of Voldemort?"

"Bellatrix can be taken by Malfoy's mother. Find any relatives for the rest of them, even though they've caused evil , they deserve a proper burial. For any of those who don't have family, we should find a place to bury their bodies. Have you told Colin Creevy's parents that he…" He could not finish the sentence. McGonagall nodded and Harry continued. "We need to send all the families home. Did the rest of the school go home safely?" He asked, as all the questions kept popping into his head.

The reminder of the evening he spent in her office, for she was now the new headmistress. They discussed where to send owls and how to get everyone who had stayed for the battle home. They also agreed that every person who helped would be acknowledged in the trophy room where a plaque would have their names printed on it. Hogwarts would need rebuilding. Many of the corridors had suffered substantial amount of damage, not to mention the Great Hall. They had also agreed that in a few shorts hours the Hogwarts Express would arrive in Hogsmeade to take all of the families home.

Once the conversation had concluded, he finally made his way to the Great Hall. He spotted Hagrid right before he found himself in a hug so tight he could feel himself breathe. Hagrid was still crying, but he could be heard mumbling. "I was sure you were dead, Harry. I'm so glad ya made it."

After a few more minutes, where he reassured Hagrid that he was fine, he made his way to where Ginny was sitting with her mother still and Hermione was now rubbing Ron's back. They all seemed to have stopped crying, with the exception of Mrs. Weasley, who still could not seem to make the tears stop. He stopped a few feet away from the table, not sure whether he should join them. It was due to him that George had lost his ear and now he had lost his twin brother.

It was Mrs. Weasley who spoke first. "I'm so glad you're alive, Harry. I'm so glad." With that, she stood up and embraced Harry. For the first time since the battle had ended, since Voldemort had died, Harry let the tears flow. He cried for Remus and Tonks, for their son who would never meet them, for Fred and the Weasleys, he cried for all the innocent people who had stayed to fight and died, but mainly he cried because he had seen Sirius and his parents for the last time until he would die again. He also cried for all the struggles they had endured this past year.

* * *

It was much later and they were all aboard the Hogwarts Express. Harry had found a compartment for himself. Everyone had seemed to understand that he needed to be able for awhile with his thoughts. 

There was a knock on the door, he said, "Come in." It was Ginny who peered in with her brown eyes. "Hi, want some company?" She closed the door behind her without waiting for his permission and sat down across from him. There was a silence that seemed it was forever, but only a few short minutes.

"I'm glad you didn't get hurt. I didn't want you to gee hurt. Do you understand that? I broke up with you to protect you." Harry broke the silence.

"I know you have a think where you need to put everyone else before yourself. I want you to realize I am no longer a child. I will turn seventeen in a few weeks. I hope you can see that. I want you to understand you don't always need to protect me." she remained rather calm through the statements. He knew she was right. He always did have a tendency to protect her. She stood up and sat down next to him, leaning into him. "When Hagrid walked into the castle with you in his arms, and they kept claiming you were dead, Harry that was the worst moment in my life. I felt like I had lost a part of myself. I'm so happy you're alive."

He kissed her. It was not a passionate kiss, it was more of a remainder of everything he had been missing. "Ginny Weasley, will you be my girlfriend again? This time I promise not to leave you for saving the world." She kissed him in response.

"Don't promise what you can't keep. How about you promise to take me with you next time? I'm really good at hexes, you know." She giggled.

"I promise." Harry said.

After a few hours, they could be found laying across one of the seats, Harry's arms wrapped around her. Ginny broke the long silence. "What about Teddy?"

It had not occurred to him that he had been appointed as Teddy's godfather. That meant with both Tons and Remus gone, he would take care of him. "I know. I'll figure it out. For now, I just want to get home to the Burrow to sleep."

Twenty minutes later, ministry cars met Harry, Hermione and the Weasley's at the train station. They were finally headed home.

* * *

_Authors Notes:_

_The reason I started writing this was mainly because of one of my very dear friends, Angee who showed me that the Harry Potter spirit still lives strong._

_I enjoy getting constructive comments. And reviews._

_I know there will be some errors in this chapter. Im still looking for a beta, but I tried!_

_-day_


	2. Fred's Farewell

-1Fred's funeral was bigger than expected. He was buried alongside the rest of the Weasley family. Molly had only anticipated a few friends and the family, but that was proved wrong.

The morning of the funeral the entire house was quiet. Harry and Ron dressed in silence and headed downstairs to find Ginny and Hermione already at the table. Molly Weasley was no where to be seen. George walked into the kitchen just then. He seemed distant, like he was not really inside his body but more of watching himself.. He took a cup from one of the cupboards and sat down. He just stared at the empty cup as if it was going to magically fill itself up. The rest of the gang just stared at him, not speaking. Finally, Ginny broke the silence, "Where's mom?"

Ron just shook his head and Harry shrugged his shoulders. It was Arthur who answered the question. "She's in his room." Everyone understood who the "his" referred to so no one responded. George rose from his chair and made his way upstairs. Ginny also rose, but made her way to the cupboards to see what she could whip up for breakfast. Hermione made her way to help her. Ron and Harry set the table, all without the use of magic.

" He would not have wanted it this way. You know, he loved to use magic to make people laugh, to enjoy everything. Remember George when he lost his ear? How they both joked about it, when it hadn't even been an house since it had happened. " Mr. Weasley left the kitchen and made his way outside.

"Dad's right. Fred always loved to make everything into a joke." Ron said. It was unlike him, but everything in the past year had helped each one of them grow up. Hermione turned around and made her way to hug him. She said, "everything will get easier around here, after his funeral. We all just need the closure." Just then several of the previous quidditch members came in through the front door. They all wore their Gryffindor quidditch robes and were arguing with each other.

Angelina Johnson was reprimanding Oliver Wood. "You can't just barge in here. You should have knocked."

"It's a funeral. Do you really think they care if we knock or not? They probably will thank us for not making them get the door." Oliver explained.

Angelina and Oliver than noticed that Ron, Harry, Hermione and Ginny were all seated around the table. They greeted everyone and Oliver was the one to explain. "We thought this would be a good idea." He made a sweeping gesture over the uniform. "We owled as many members as we could. There are still more on the way."

The next few hours were a blur. People did not stop pouring into the Wesley home after those quidditch members arrived. Everyone who had remotely known Fred or the Family or even Harry came. Through the floo network , through appariation and even in muggle car. They all sat in the living room or stood outside talking amongst themselves.

The funeral itself was different than Dumbledore's funeral had been/ There were no mermaids to sing a song and no white tomb to decorate the body/ It was a simple ceremony with a simple black wood tomb. Arthur, his sons and Harry had personally dug the hole in which Fred's coffin would be laid.

Many people cried and Molly seemed to cry more than anyone. Finally, the coffin was lowered into the hole and with a wave of a wand, he was gone from the world completely. A few people stayed behind for tea and cookies. Molly made her way upstairs as soon as she arrived at the house. By eight o'clock that evening, everyone had left.

Ginny, Harry, Hermione and Ron all sat in the boys' room. Ginny was sitting at the foot of the Harry's bed and Hermione was sitting on Ron's trunk. Both Harry and Ron were sitting against the headboard of their own beds.

"I'm leaving tomorrow for a couple of days, maybe a week." Hermione stated. She looked around avoiding Ron.

"Harry, I really want to go get a glass of water, come with me." Ginny grabbed Harry's hand and made their way out of the room.

Hermione started to explain to Ron, but he interrupted her. "I know. 'Mione, I knew that you would want to leave after the way. I'm surprised you didn't leave to get your parents as soon as the war was over. I expected to wake up the day after we arrived and find you gone."

"Oh Ron. You've changed so much since that first day I met you on the train, with your dirty nose." She laughed and got up to sit with him on the bed. "I was so happy when you thought of the house elves. It was perfect." She kissed his cheek and leaned into him as he placed his arm around her.

He then said, "I want to go with you to Australia. Please." He was not sure if she would let him or not, but the minute he realized that she was going, he knew he would ask.

"Why?" She simply asked.

"I want to be there. I'm afraid of losing you. He said. She agreed to let him go with her. They left in the early hours of the following morning, leaving a note for Mr. and Mrs. Weasley. They had left to Australia to find Hermione's parents and bring them home.


	3. Love Walk

In the few weeks since the war had ended, there had been many changes at the ministry. Kingsley was appointed the new minister of magic. Almost immediately after he was appointed he began to capture any remaining live death eaters. Although many had already been captured, interrogated and put in prison, there were still several death eaters out there in the world, hiding. Azkaban was no being guarded by aurors instead of dementors, since they proved to have been easily persuaded by the dark side. Everything in the ministry seemed to have gone back to previous conditions. Muggles were no longer used as furniture and muggle-borns and half-bloods were no longer were no longer excluded or questioned. All and all, the wizarding world seemed to have returned to previous sanity.

Things at the Burrow were quickly getting better. Mrs. Weasley had clearly began to get over her son's death. Although, there were still moments where she would just burst out of a room crying, she was at least more social. People still occasionally stopped by to see George, who had lived temporarily with the family, but had now returned to live above Weasley Wizard Wheezes, his jokeshop and had begun to create new inventions. Many of those who had been by to see George were only really there to see if Harry would tell them anything about the scene in the forest.

He had not told any body what happened, and Hagrid had kept that to himself as well. He was grateful for that. He did not think he could bare to have Ginny know that he had been killed. He still did not know if he would ever tell her. The few days following the war, he sent Narcissus a letter, thanking her for lying to Lord Voldemort. He made the promise to make sure her family was not captured in the death eater raids. Kingsley had not asked him why, but just accepted it, trusting his judgment.

Hermione and Ron had returned three days after they had left. It seemed it was extremely easy to find Mr. and Mrs. Granger. The Grangers were extremely amused by the Burrow, but adapted to it in no time. Their presence seemed to have snapped Mrs. Weasley out of her daze; it gave her something to do. She prepared a room for them; made breakfast, lunch and dinner; and had even started scolding Harry and Ron again. The Grangers spent most of the mornings looking for places to live, but spent the evening with Mr. Weasley who had used their stay here to find out every function for muggle household items. Since their old home had been sold, they were looking for a home close to the Weasleys.

Harry and Ginny had gone out tonight to get ice cream from the local muggle shop. Ginny was getting used to muggle money. She had even paid tonight. They were walking hand in hand down a lamp-lit street.

"My birthday is coming up, you know." She stated softly. He looked at her, with her red hair and her freckled nose. He loved her. He had not been able to tell her so yet, but he knew that he felt the same way his dad felt about his mom. "I know." He said not revealing what he had bought for her.

She punched him playfully realizing he was not going to let anything slip. They began to make their way home. "Harry, have you given any thought to Teddy, yet?" He knew that she had been finding a way to lead the conversation to this topic. They walked a bit further before he answered.

"I don't want to take him away from his grandmother. He's all she has now. I guess, once she cannot take care of him anymore, that I'll have to step in. Meanwhile, I'll make sure to visit him whenever I can. I've been thinking about moving to Grimmauld Place again." He knew that he would eventually have to move out of the Burrow. She simply said, "I knew you would want to eventually. Will things change between us if u do? Are you still planning to go back to school the fall?"

A few days after Fred's funeral, Professor McGonagall had shown up at the Burrow asking to speak to Harry, Hermione and Ron. She told them they were welcomed back to Hogwarts to finish their education. Hermione accepted before McGonagall had even finished her last sentence. Ron said he would have to think about it, but under Hermione's glare, he accepted as well. Harry knew he would go back. He still had no idea what he wanted to become and going back also meant more time with Ginny. He knew he would have to get a job once the school year was over; his parents fortune wouldn't keep him alive forever. McGonagall also told them that any seventh year student from the previous year was welcomed back, including muggle-borns and half-bloods. They had all agreed they had no received a fair education.

"Of course, I am. I just don't know if I should move out before the summer is over or just wait until I leave Hogwarts for good." He admitted. He knew if he asked Mrs. Weasley this question, she would insist that he stay at the Burrow. She might even convince him to stay there forever. Mrs. Weasley had a hard time letting go of any of them. It had taken her a few days to get used to the fact that George was going to move back to his apartment above the joke shop.

Ginny smiled and as if reading his thoughts said, "I don't think mum will let you leave this summer. I think since the war, she has been more protective of us, you, me, Ron and Hermione. She afraid she'll blink and lose us. Maybe you should wait until the end of the school year is over. Mum will be better by then, I hope. Plus she'll force you to spend all holidays with us."

It was agreed that his moving plan would be put on hold until next year. They would not mention it to Mrs. Weasley in case she convinced him to stay past that. The rest of the evening passed normally. They spent a few minutes out by the tree near the Burrow, where they snogged quietly. It was an unspoken rule between them that they would never do this inside the house.

They went upstairs to find Hermione and Ron, only to walk in on them having their own snogging session. Hermione looked up, embarrassed. Ron just seemed irritated. Harry was glad to have them happy again and acting as if this past year on the run had never happened.

* * *

A/n:

Review!!!


	4. Happy Birthday, Ginny

Ginny's birthday did not go unnoticed. Mrs. Weasley made sure to make her a cake and prepared a fantastic dinner. Everyone Ginny knew was invited, including Percy who had been making sure to stop by after work whenever he had the chance. He was currently seeing another ministry employee. She was muggle-born, making the Weasleys very happy. She was also invited to dinner.

Ginny's celebration began right after dawn when she woke up to find Harry sitting on the edge of her bed. "Hey there, did you know you snore softly when you sleep?" He teased her softly. She sat up on her bed and began looking for her wand.

"Harry Potter, have you forgotten that I am now allowed to use magic?" She pretended to be offended. "Did you already forget how good I am with hexes?" She threatened him.

Harry arose from the chair and began to make his way slowly toward one of the walls. Ginny followed and cornered him. She then pressed herself against him and in a barely audible whisper said, "How about my first kiss now that I'm of age?" He complied with her and kissed her softly. "You have to use magic." He reminded her against her lips.

She made Harry's glasses fly off his face and twirl around the room. It was her first magic act of age. Harry had to run and catch them before she let them fall to the ground. Finally, Ginny realized that Harry was in her room. The last time he had been in there was the day of his seventeenth birthday. She also remembered very clearly why she had asked him to come inside, but today, he had snuck in of his own accord. "Why are you here?"

As if that reminded him why he came in, he began to look for a box he had set down when he came in. He had been so enchanted with her as she slept that he had simply forgotten the real reason he came here. He was only going to leave the present for her on the bed and step out quietly. Instead it had turned into this.

He held out the box. "I should go before Ron notices I'm gone or your mum wakes up to find me in here. Bad impressions and all." He made his way out the door. He was not really sure why, but he did not want to see her reaction when she opened the box.

* * *

The morning went by rather quickly. Everyone had told Ginny they would give her their gift at dinner, so that she had plenty to open. Mrs. Weasley then began to rush them out of the kitchen saying, "I have lots to do before our guests arrive so make yourselves useful and disappear." 

That was what they did. They went out to the front yard and just lazed around most of the afternoon. They discussed those that would be coming tonight and current news. A few more death eaters had been caught in the few weeks since the end of the war. Hermione and Ron excused themselves around three in the afternoon; they said they would be going to get ready for dinner.

"They just want to snog each other." Ginny stated as Ron and Hermione had begun to walk away. "Not that I mind, I had been wondering how long it would take them to notice their attraction to each other. Thank you."

Harry acted stupid and said, "For what?"

"The dress, silly. It is gorgeous. How did you know I had wanted it?" She said. Harry and her had been to Diagon Alley a few times since break began. It was during their second trip, when Harry had seen Ginny starring at the very dress he had bought her. It was a long red silk dress, but being a Weasley she never would have been able to afford it. So it was in that split second that he knew he would end up buying it for her.

"I just guessed." He half-lied. "I thought you would look gorgeous in it. Since your mum was going all out for your birthday, I thought you should have it to wear."

"She's only going all out because of the war. She's happy we are all living to see another birthday. That we're not in hiding." Ginny said a bit sadly.

"Fred's probably watching you right now. He's even celebrating as well." Harry winked.

"You're right. I should go get ready as well. Guest will be arriving in a few hours." Ginny made to get up, but Harry grabbed her hand. "It's going to be amazing tonight." He kissed her and let her go.

* * *

Guest started pouring in. Hermione was downstairs helping greet the guest. Harry had not seen Ginny, but he began to navigate through the house. In the kitchen Mrs. Weasley had gathered a few women to help her finish the cooking. They included Mrs. Tonks, Fleur and Mrs. Granger. He then walked into the living room. Many of the guests had come with their entire families. Neville and his grandmother, Luna and her father, a few other classmates were there. 

Mr. Weasley was in deep conversation with Mr. Granger over his trip to Australia. "So you say they had hotel rooms, where they give you soap?" Mr. Weasley was amazed at the efficiency of the muggle hotels.

"Yes, they also give you anything else you might need. They even let you use their telephone service." Mr. Granger responded. He had been very patient with Mr. Weasley. He also had asked questions in return about magic and wizard objects. Mr. Granger's favorite subject to ask about was quidditch.

Mr. Diggory and his wife were also there. He had not seen them since he had brought Cedric's body back the night of the final of the Triwizard Tournament. They both greeted him. Mrs. Diggory even pulled Harry into a tight embraced and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

"Look." Someone said pointing to the staircase. Everyone's attention was directed to the general area. Then Harry saw why. Ginny was coming down the staircase, in the red silk dress. Her hair was up away from her face, and it was the first time Harry really saw that she was no longer 11 years old.

Mrs. Weasley started to cry. She was saying something like, "She's all grown up. They're all going to leave me." Except everything coming out was gibberish. Mr. Weasley made his way into the kitchen to help calm her down. Harry made his way to Ginny. He held out his hand and she took it. "So?" she asked him.

"You look incredible. You're no longer Ron's little sister." Harry told her.

She went into the living room to talk to her friends and guests. Everyone was wishing her a happy birthday. A few minutes later, Mr. Weasley announced dinner was ready. They had somehow magically made the small dinning table accommodate more than fifty people. Conversations were flying everywhere between food bites. Mrs. Weasley kept receiving compliments on dinner.

Mrs. Tonks was asking Mrs. Weasley what she used to feed her kids. Teddy was currently sleeping in one of the rooms upstairs. Since he was only a few months old, most of what he did was sleep. Dinner was disappearing quickly. Soon it was time for presents.

Ginny received many gifts. They included clothes, books and she received a new set of dress robes from George. Hermione gave her a bottle of perfume. Ron had bought her chocolates. By the time she had finished opening them and everyone had left, Ginny looked exhausted.

"What a night." She sighed as she sat down in her chair. Her eyelids began to droop. Harry was talking to her about Neville returning as well to Hogwarts next year. He noticed that she had fallen asleep. He reached over and picked her up. He carried her then up a flight of stairs and put her in her bed.

He kissed her forehead. Then as he was exiting the room he said, "Happy Birthday, Ginny."

* * *

A/n: 

Hey sorry it took me so long to update. I ended up rewriting this chapter because chapters four and five contradict my tenth chapter. But here it is! Also i corrected some of the grammer stuff on the previous chapters.

review!!!!

Day


	5. Firsts and Lasts

Her parents had finally begun to move into the house. All of the Weasley's and Harry had chipped in to help. Mrs. Weasley and Mrs. Granger were directing all the men on where to pu the furniture, while Ginny and Hermione worked on unpacking. Although it took most of the morning to finish, it was done before lunchtime. The Grangers treated all of them to pizza. Mr. Weasley was extremely fancinated by it.He kept asking about the crust and the cheese. "Who would have thought to put all these ingredients together?" He had exclaimed after his first bite.

After the dinner, Hermione took Ron for a walk around the backyard. Ron had noticed she seemed distracted all evening. She kept walking for a while longer before she sat down in the middle of the yard.

"Sit, Ron." She told him. She would always order him to do things, but she would never realize she was doing so.

"Is something wrong?" Ron asked her.

"Nothing really. I've just been thinking. I'm worried about going back to school." She said simply.

Ron wanted to laugh at her. Out of all of them, the one to worry the least should be her. She was the most brilliant. "Hermione, you have nothing to worry about. We're not going to be the only ones going back. Neville said that all seventh year students were allowed to go back."

"It's not that, Ron. It is going to be the first time that you'll be back with other people. Maybe you will realize that you do not want to be with me anymore. I mean, it all did happen in the heat of the moment. It was during the war. It is all beginning to settle down." She blurted out. She could not seem to take her eyes off of the grass.

Ron had thought he had learned everything from the book his brothers had given him a year ago. This was not something he had expected from Hermione. He had always thought Hermione was too good for him, and here she was telling him he thought he might leave her. He kissed her then and there. "'Mione, there will only be one time I'll ever leave you. If you remember clearly, I already used that chance last year when I walked away from you when you called after me. It helped me realize that I could never do it again. We're in this for the long run."

* * *

They were down to the last three weeks of their vacation. Mr. Weasley had agreed they would all go into Diagon Alley the following Saturday. Hermione had been coming over daily since she had moved back with her parents. Harry had now moved into George and Fred's old room. The house seemed emptier without the usual Fred and George. The only kids were Ron, Ginny and Harry. Mrs. Weasley, though, seemed just as happy with the three of them as she did with all her children.

Most of their days were spent playing quidditch. Occasionally, Ginny and Harry would spend the afternoon alone, while hermione and Ron went off to do their own thing. Harry took Ginny out for a muggle movie into the nearby town. They bumped into Seamus and Dean while they were there. They also confirmed that they would be attending Hogwarts again that year. Seamus had been on the run as well. He was half-blood.

They were currently all sitting in the living room listening to the radio. There was a knock at the door. Mrs. Weasley, who was in the kitchen reading Witch Weekly, was there first. "Why hello!" she exclaimed. Mrs. Tonks came into view. "Kids come and say hello... This must be teddy. " Mrs. Weasley took him out of her arms. He looked so much bigger than in the picture Lupin had shown them the night of the war. His hair was still a bright turquoise.

Harry said hello to Mrs. Tonks and then asked if he could hold Teddy. "Why of course dear. i thought I should bring him around to meet you. You are his godson."

Harry held Teddy tenderly. He was afraid to squeeze him or hurt him. Teddy's bright hazel eyes stared up at him. The little boy then made for a grab at his glasses, which instantly made everyone laugh. "Looks, like he likes you, Harry." Ginny teased him.

Mrs. Tonks and Mrs. Weasley let them know they would be in the kitchen if they needed anything. Harry sat down and passed Teddy to Ginny. It was Hermione who said something first, "It feels strange, doesn't it?"

Ron understood. "I know. Maybe this was how Lupin felt when you're parents um..." Ron could not finish.

"Died. I feel so guilty sometimes. It's partially my fault that he has no parents." Harry admitted.

Both Ginny and Hermione contradicted him. "Voldemort is the one to blame, mate." Ron added.

"All we can do now Harry, is more forward. We'll give this baby so much love. When he's old enough to understand, he'll know the reason his parents died. They died to give us this. They died for the same reason you parents died. To make sure that you both had a safe future."

That was the last time any of them ever talked about guilt. They never once again mentioned anyone having the blame but Voldemort. They were finally beginning to move forward.

* * *

A/n: _I sincerely apologize for not updating. School really got to me. and i began to meet more people. I also am working Full-time. I am so sorry. But here it is. I'll try and update as much as possible during my month long break. Please review! _

_-day_


	6. Diagon Alley

Harry thought he heard Hermione whispering, but that could not be. He was supposed to be asleep in Ron's room. From what he could tell, the sun had not risen yet. He turned over and tried to fall asleep again.

"… think I'm beginning to be a bad influence on you, 'Mione." Harry heard Ron whisper. Hermione responded, "As long as they don't find out, it's okay."

Harry opened his eyes. He reached for his glasses and turned over to discover Hermione lying in bed next to Ron. He had been right; the sun was not up yet. Hermione seemed to be drawing little patterns on Ron's chest. They both seemed oblivious to the fact that Harry had woken up. In fact, Hermione almost fell out of the bed when Harry asked, "When do you plan on letting me sleep?"

"Harry!" Hermione exclaimed. "I'm sorry. I can explain." She began to get out of the bed, trying to find her shoes.

Harry found his slippers and said, "Don't worry about it. I think I'm going to go downstairs and get something to drink." Hermione smiled and Harry understood that she knew exactly where he was headed.

As Harry closed the door to the room, he heard Ron begin to persuade Hermione to come back to bed. Harry stood in front of closed door and listened for any sounds from Mr. and Mrs. Weasley's bedroom. When he was sure that they were both asleep, he apparated into Ginny's room.

The last time he had been in there was the day she came of age. He had snuck in there and surprised her with the dress he had bought her. He tiptoed over to her bed and sat on the edge. She stirred and opened her eyes. "Hi," was all that Harry said. She responded likewise. Harry slipped off his slippers and climbed into bed next to her. She snuggled against him.

That was how the morning greeted them.

* * *

Two weeks before the first of September, on the morning their owls from Hogwarts all arrived, they headed off to Diagon Alley. It was the first time they could all apparate their; Ginny had passed her test a week before. They arrived in front of Gringotts. Harry saw the scene before him and experience a flash back from his first trip here with Hagrid. People were running everywhere, teenagers were in groups trying to buy school supplies.

"Alright kids, your dad and I are going to go to see George. We'll all meet at Flourish and Blotts after lunch, okay?" Mrs. Weasley informed them. They all began to go their separate ways. "Please don't be late children!" She told their retreating backs.

"Ron, Harry, let me see your lists." She began studying their lists as they walked in no particular direction. "Well we need to stop by the apothecary, since it seems Harry, Ginny and I need ingredients for potions. We should stop by Madame Malkin's Robes for All Occasions, since Ron and Harry probably have outgrown theirs by now. Harry do you need to get money from Gringotts?"

Harry nodded. "I think I'll go ahead and do that first. I can meet up with you later." Ginny offered to accompany him. After agreeing to meet back up with Hermione and Ron at Madame Malkin's, they headed off in Gringotts direction.

"Maybe we'll see Bill today. Did you hear that Fleur is going to be having a baby? He told mum and dad. That's why he hasn't been visiting us much. Mum accepted that excuse." Ginny informed him.

Harry laughed. "Starting liking Fleur, have you?"

Ginny shrugged, "She's not so bad."

They arrived and Gringotts and discovered that Bill was off that day. One of the goblins led them downstairs to Harry's vault. Once outside of Gringotts and with enough money to pay for some books and put him through living at Hogwarts for the year, they headed towards Madame Malkin's.

Once they were there, everyone bought at least one new robe. Harry came out with three and Hermione had two. They then proceeded to get all their necessary supplies and headed off to the Leaky Cauldron to have lunch.

As the exited Diagon Alley they heard a big commotion from inside the Leaky Cauldron. Hermione looked hesitant to open the door, Harry was the one who opened it. For the first time in ages, the Leaky Cauldron was packed with people.

There were people sitting at all the tables and it looked like they would have to get in line to be seated when the bartender Tom noticed who had entered. Everyone in the bar stopped talked. Tom went over to a table where a bunch of teenagers were sitting and began to shoo them away. He gestured to them, letting them know the table was theirs.

Once they were seated, someone said, "Drinks all around!" And the commotion began again. Hermione looked embarrassed and Ron was almost as red as his hair. Ginny kept starring at the table next to theirs where a few girls kept looking their way. She put her arm Harry and kissed his cheek.

"Well, that was something." Hermione broke their silence. Tom was now serving them butterbeers.

"Guess, we'll have to get used to it." Ron said. Ginny agreed.

Harry sipped his butterbeer in silence. He knew that the rest of his life would be like this. At least this time around, he was not going to be the only one getting the attention.

* * *

_A/N: Here's another update. I redid last chapter. I accidentally forgot to save my changes and the wrong version uploaded. I hope you enjoy both. Please review!_

_-dayyy_


	7. Hogwarts Express

Chapter 7: Hogwarts Express

Ron, Hermione, Harry and Ginny were all seated in a compartment aboard the Hogwarts Express. Mrs. Weasley had kept waving as the train left the station. Harry was pretty sure she did not leave until the train was completely out of view for several minutes.

"Mum's having a hard time letting us go. I expect we will all get mail tomorrow morning." Ron said to no on in particular.

"Ron, if you noticed, most of the parents were the same way. I have never seen platform 9 ¾ that packed before. I assume most parents are having trouble letting their children go. You would too especially after the war took place at Hogwarts." Hermione told Ron. Ron just looked out of the window not knowing exactly how to respond to that.

Harry knew Hermione was right. Hogwarts was supposed to have been the safest place to keep your children, but last year had really shaken up parents. Many of the students had gone into hiding to avoid sending their students straight into the hands of death eaters.

"Do you know if Hogwarts was completely restored?" Hermione asked Harry.

"Kingsley mentioned that it had taken them about three weeks to get it back to normal. But then he also said it would never go back to the way it was before. So I don't know, Hermione." He answered her.

Just then, Neville popped in along with Luna. Neville seemed to have grown a bit muscular in the past year. He remembered when he had last taken a good look at him during the war. He had been so proud of what he had done to defy ??. Luna was her usual self. She had on this dazed look as she stared out the window.

"Hey how are you? How was your summer?" Neville asked as he took a seat next to Hermione. Luna proceeded to sit next to Harry. "My grandmother was extremely happy when Professor McGonagall came by to tell us that I could come back and finish my education. I don't think she'll be too pleased to hear that I want to become a teacher of Herbology."

"Yeah. It was a good summer. It was pretty boring." Ron told him.

Harry hadn't been looking around when they arrived on the platform. He had been listening to Mrs. Weasley talk to them as they began to board. "Who else came back?"

"Well most of everybody. Except those who died of course. Oh, half the slytherins didn't come back either. Malfoy didn't." Neville told them. He seemed more informed than Hermione.

"I heard they rarely leave their home anymore." Luna told them. "They only leave to go get food, and always just one of them."

Ron spoke next. "Well it's expected of them. I mean, why would slytherins want their kids to come back? They probably thought they were in better hands when the death eaters were running the school."

There was a knock at the compartment door and it slid open. Lavender Brown peered in at the group. Hermione squeezed Ron's hand. "Hello," she said. "I heard you were coming back as well. I thought I would stop and say hello." She looked at them, letting her gaze stay a bit longer on Ron and then his hand, the one Hermione was practically cutting circulation from. "Well, I'll see you at the feast later tonight."

Everyone waited for the door to slide to a close before they began speaking. Ginny moved over to sit in between Neville and Hermione. "Don't worry about her. You are better than her."

"'Mione, can you please loosen your grip on my hand?" Ron managed to get out. She did that and he hugged her. "She meant nothing to me. Remember? I would always pretend to be asleep to just get out of talking to her. I've never done that to you."

After some reassuring, Hermione seem to go back to her normal self. Harry wanted some alone time with Ginny, so he rose from his chair. "Ginny, I want to go find the trolley. I'm really thirsty, want to come with me?" Ginny agreed.

Just before they left the compartment, Ron called out. "Get me some chocolate frogs, mate!"

They walked towards the front of the train, looking into each compartment, hoping to find one empty. Finally, towards the front of the train, he found one. Harry opened the door and allowed Ginny to go in first. Making sure the door closed behind them, he stood there staring at her as she sat close to the window. She was so beautiful.

He walked closer to her and sat next to her. He had a reason for bringing her here, but he wanted to enjoy being alone for a few moments. He leaned over and softly kissed her lips. She leaned back against the wall surrounding the window and Harry leaned in closer to her. He had become used to kissing girls. Ginny had made sure of that. Not that he wanted to use it on another girl, but it was thanks to her his first kiss had disappeared from his mind. He brought one of his hands up to her cheek, his other traveled around her back, and found a resting place on the small of her back.

A little while later, he began to pull away. He needed to talk to her before Ron came looking for them. He cleared his throat as Ginny began to sit up straighter. A few minutes later, Harry still could not seem to start.

"Is there something on your mind, Harry?" Ginny asked.

"Yes, it has to do with what happened back there." Harry said about the Lavender incident. "I was just wondering if you felt as worried about other girls as Hermione did."

Ginny seemed to be pondering the question. Harry was sure whether she was going to laugh at him or not. "I do worry about you with other girls. But it is more of I worry what they will try to do to you, over what you will do willingly. Except with Cho, I do not want you in a room with her alone, ever." She finished it off by kissing his cheek. "What about you Harry? Do you worry I might go off with some boy?"  
"No," he said, not willing to admit that he always did.

"Yeah, sure. I'm sure you do. You don't worry that I'll have a study session with a boy and that it will turn into something more. Maybe we would decide to go and study by the lake. Or perhaps it would be late at night, by the fire, he would slowly lean toward me and I'd lean toward h-" She didn't get to finish as Harry interrupted her.

"If you ever need to study, you can study with Hermione." He said. He had heard enough of her scenarios. "We should head back and try to find the trolley so we can get Ron those chocolate frogs."

They headed back to the compartment, stopping to buy the frogs for Ron and bottled pumpkin juice. Once inside the compartment, they saw that Neville and Luna had gone off to their own compartment to change. Hermione was already changing and Ron seemed to be falling asleep. Harry put down the frogs and began to pull out his robes in order to change. He turned around and saw the Ginny was doing the same. Before any of the four knew it, the Hogwarts Express was pulling into the station.

A/N:

PLEASE review. sorry ive been super busy with school.


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